BIZZY BAKES

I am still holding on to salads and this one is special with the pear tomatoes which are rather new to me.  There was a time, I would not try any new vegetable and as a result only had fresh spinach, for the first time, a few years ago.  Frozen spinach was fine for me.  Now, I have discovered fresh spinach and I use it almost every day. Yellow Pear and Cherry Tomato Salad  Ingredients: 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar  1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon  olive oil 1/8 teaspoon black pepper  1 1/2 cups pear tomatoes (yellow, halved) 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved) 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, torn Combine dressing ingredients. In a large serving or salad bowl, toss together all the tomatoes. Pour the vinaigrette over the tomatoes and toss gently to mix well and coat evenly. Add the spinach and shallots and mix a little more.

This is not so much about a recipe but what my dreams are made of.  This is close to the perfect lunch for me except, I fo rgot to put in the avocado and that should be there. I have, literally, been craving salads and every excuse I have, I make one whether it be, on th e side , or in this case, my meal.  There is noth ing fabulous about this dish other than I l ove eve rything about it.   Romaine is healthier than the iceb erg, I used to eat, the tomatoes actually had flavor, the goat cheese, I simply love, the hard boiled eggs were a treat and the crunchy onions on top were a bonus.  I had made a Tha i dressing, Friday and had some left over so I topped my salad with this and I was happy.  I gue ss, it is easy to make me happy .

Standing in the aisle of the local store, I spotted an English cucumber, actually a number of them.  I did not like the seedy cukes before, I discovered the English cucumber.  Now, I adore this much nicer variety.  The other day, I did not have a green in the house except for one cucumber.  I cut it up with some cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and a little vinegar and it was wonderful. This salad is also easy and good.  Simple Salad    adapted from Eating Well Ingredients: 1 English cucumber, sliced 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds Method: Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds; toss well to combine. Serve immediately.  To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a smal...

I wanted a pretty salad for dinner, tonight, besides one, we like.  I decided thin sliced radishes would do the trick as well as add a bite to the greens.  In reality, this is your basic salad but I replaced tomato with radish and added celery and carrots.  I was going to add cheese but we had a cheesy dinner. Greens and Radish Salad Ingredients: 1 head of romaine lettuce 5 radishes sliced very thin (used mandolin) 1 carrot, sliced very thin 1 stalk celery, sliced very thin Dressing: (adapted from Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters) Go see Miriam for her other recipes here. 1/8 cup grapeseed oil (use any one of choosing) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon orange juice 1 teaspoon minced onion 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon salt Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until, there is a smooth dressing.  Pour over salad and mix gently.

Please check over at Kristen's, Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker to see my recipe for Tomato Spinach Tostados.  She generously let me share on her blog.  While you are there, check out her fabulous recipes and interesting posts. This is another potato salad to make up for my not taking a picture of the recipe below.  It certainly looks very much like it.  It is missing peas. Over the years, I have only shared a few potato salads here.  That is because, I don't love it.  I eat it without enthusiasm.  I have a recipe or two which are better than the run of the mill salads, I have eaten.  This time, I came across a winner, a potato salad, I wanted more of and joyfully went back for seconds. This came from AllRecipes.com. and you can find the original recipe here .  I omitted the hot dogs from the salad. Russian Potato Salad Ingredients: 3 large potatoes 3 eggs 3 large dill pickles, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 cups peas...

I am in a rush now and have no time to introduce this salad, other than to say, it turned out very nicely and I recommend it. Vegetarian Noodle Salad 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup Mirin 1 teaspoon Thai sweet chili sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cup cup oil 1/2 pound gluten-free brown rice spaghetti (package directions) 1/4 of an English cucumber, sliced thin 1 red bell pepper (julienned) 1 bunch scallions (sliced) 12 cup salted peanuts (chopped roasted, garnish) Method: In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, Mirin, chili sauce, sugar, and soy until smooth. Whisk in the oil. In a large bowl, toss dressing with the pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper and scallions. The recipe is adapted from Food Network . I went heavier on the Soy Sauce and less on the oil. Better than other salads like this that I have made. Gluten Free Weekly Menu     Summer Salad Sundays        Mealtime Monday...

Kudos to Louise who hosts our annual picnic which has the best food in Foodie Land.  Louise has an amazing blog,  Months of Edible Creations  , one of the most interesting ones around.  If you ever have time to be fascinated, hop over there and read about some of the special days and more important, the special foods that are highlighted, each day.  Pick up tidbits, tales and recipes and most important, fun and enjoyment. My gratitude to Louise for this picnic that you are all invited to, with or without a recipe.  Come and eat our food.  I hope you enjoy this salad from Rick Bayless. This salad calls for a little more prep work than other salads, I make.  It has tons of vegetables and could be eaten as a main dish although, I served it with grilled chicken from Ellie Krieger. Vegetable Salad with Lime Dressing      Serves 6   Adapted from Rick Bayless I advise doing some of the prep work in advance.  There is ...

Salads can be a cinch to make and they can be complicated.  For me, it normally, makes no sense to put extra effort into a salad unless it is the main dish.  One can make a tasty and attractive salad with only a few ingredients.  I find that tomatoes bring color to the greens of a salad so I like to include them when they are from the garden and have the real flavor comes through. This is an example of a green and red salad that can have as little or as much heat, as your would like.  You can also add any vegetables, you see fit to add. Pea and Tomato Salad - Adapted from All Recipes Ingredients: 10 cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon dried basil 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce Method: In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and peas.  In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine...

For the Sabbath lunch, on Saturday, we had company, I had not met before.  As a result, I had little idea what to serve that they liked.  We have chulent, every week, so that stayed and salads and fish were part of the meal, as usual.  I decided to make a leafy chicken salad as another option, figuring it would be good for the hot weather and salads are usually accepted. I checked out a few recipes but none fit the bill so I wrote down ideas from each of them, combined these and came up with my own recipes.  I am not giving sources because I am not sure that using tomatoes or chicken in this salad is something to source. Tossed Chicken Salad Ingredients: 2 small chicken cutlets, cut into strips spray Olive oil 1 package Romaine mix 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 1 full size tomato, cut into small pieces 1/2 cucumber, chopped  (I removed the seeds) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup walnut pieces  Honey_Must...